New media art venue opens at Lotte Avenuel

A new space dedicated to immersive media art opened its doors Friday at luxury department store Lotte Avenuel in Myeong-dong, Seoul. The venue, Groundseesaw Myeongdong, is an 800-square-meter exhibition hall with 6-meter, ceiling-to-floor screens covering the walls. The hall features more than 70 high performance projectors and multiplex cinema sound systems, according to Media & Art, a display agency.　 “Blue Room,” the opening exhibition, is designed to offer an experience no

Arts & DesignJune 4, 2021

Harmonica to lead orchestra onstage

Harmonicist Park Jong-seong, 36, will go on the stage with the Prime Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of conductor Baek Yoon-hak at the Gangdong Arts Center in eastern Seoul on June 13. Park has won awards with his harmonica at international competitions in Japan, China and Germany. The musician has also released three solo albums so far. “There have been occasions where I was invited to orchestral performances to play one or two works. But it is the first time to invite an orche

PerformanceJune 4, 2021

[Travel bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Busan Port Festival The festival has been held annually since 2008 to introduce Busan Port, one of the top five ports in the world. It offers a variety of programs that that showcase Busan Port-related industries, culture and education. Part of Ocean Day celebrations, this annual festival offers opportunities to learn about Busan Port’s rich history. Related businesses, organizations and universities take part in the festival to promote the port. For more information, visit www.bfo.or.

TravelJune 4, 2021

[Around the Hotels] Promotion and Packages

Paradise Hotel Busan offers ‘Early Sumcance’ package The Paradise Hotel Busan in the city’s celebrated Haeundae-gu is offering the “Early Sumcance” package for guests to enjoy the early summer temperatures. With the package, guests can use the Outdoor Ocean Spa Pool and Ocean Spa Cimer freely all day and enjoy many activities, including the Play Lab, Haba and Woongjin Bookclub and BMW Kids Driving. The package starts at 220,000 won. Walkerhill Hotel & Reso

FoodJune 4, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Cruella (US) Opened May 26 Drama, Comedy Directed by Craig Gillespie Estella Miller (Emma Stone) is a rebellious child with a talent for fashion. After Estella causes some trouble in school, Estella’s mom Catherine (Emily Beecham) decides to move to London. On the way, she stops at a party hosted by Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson) to ask for financial assistance. At the party, Estella witnesses her mother being pushed off a cliff to her death by Dalmatians.  Pipeline (Korea) O

FilmJune 4, 2021

'Emergency Declaration,' 'In Front of Your Face' invited to Cannes' non-competition

South Korean films "Emergency Declaration," directed by Han Jae-rim, and "In Front of Your Face" by Hong Sang-soo were invited to this year's Cannes Film Festival.    In the official selection for the 74th Cannes Film Festival announced on Thursday, "Emergency Declaration" was listed in the Out of Competition category along with five other films, including "The Velvet Underground" by Todd Haynes, "Stillwater" by Tom McCarthy and "

CultureJune 3, 2021

Tablo co-writes Amazon Studios’ comedy series ‘Neon Machine’

Tablo of South Korean hip-hop band Epik High has penned a new comedy series for Amazon Studios’ with Emmy-winning producer Jason Kim. Tablo has been working on creating the story, with Kim, producer of HBO series “Barry” (2018), over the past two years. He recently concluded a deal with Amazon Studios to create the show, called “Neon Machine,”, according to the Korean Canadian rapper’s agency Hours Entertainment on Monday “Excited to announce my first

FilmJune 2, 2021

Gwangju Biennale seeks to stay course despite controversy surrounding outgoing president

The Gwangju Biennale is pushing for the 14th Gwangju Biennale to be held in September 2022 as scheduled and the appointment of a new president for the foundation after Kim Sun-jung, the current president, was accused of misconduct as leader of the organization. The Gwangju Biennale, the largest art biennale in South Korea, typically takes place in September. The most recent biennale was delayed twice to April, however, due to the pandemic. The 13th Gwangju Biennale ran for 39 days directed b

Arts & DesignJune 2, 2021

Not all pickled veg is created equal: New book celebrates kimchi

The Korean Culture and Information Service and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs jointly published “Kimchi in the Eyes of the World” on Wednesday. The 148-page book contains stories on foreigners who love to eat kimchi as well as kimchi-making at foreign embassies and Korean Cultural Centers around the world. Eighteen honorary reporters of Korean.net, an online platform run by KOCIS, hailing from 14 countries also share their stories of making kimchi pancakes, kim

CultureJune 2, 2021

Korea Tourism Organization launches environment-focused travel challenge on social media

When planning a trip involves buying new products and creating waste, a major problem arises – travelers enjoying the outdoors while ignoring the impact their vacation may have on the environment. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization jointly launched the “Inconvenient Travel Tips“ campaign on Wednesday, to promote eco-friendly travel methods through October. The travel tips are conservation-minded measures that some may find inconveni

TravelJune 2, 2021

Ballet Festival Korea to share ‘Blended Experiences and Emotions’

The 2021 Ballet Festival Korea will take place at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul from June 15 to 30, presenting shows that reflect the changing times under the theme of “Blended Experiences and Emotions.” Eleven dance troupes from Korea are participating this year, putting on a variety of ballet performances from classic works to experimental contemporary ballet movements.  “(After the festival) we will work on staging these shows outside of Seoul,” Park

PerformanceJune 2, 2021

Local movie theaters to give discount to vaccinated people

South Korean movie theaters said Wednesday that they have started a program to give price discounts to vaccinated people for this month as part of marketing strategies to fill virus-hit empty cinemas. Under the one-month campaign starting Tuesday, those who have received at least one shot of COVID-19 vaccines can buy two tickets at 5,000 won ($4.50) or 6,000 won each at three major multiplex chains, CJ CGV, Lotte Cinema and Megabox. A ticket for a weekday movie screening costs around 12,000 wo

FilmJune 2, 2021

Indieground streams 22 indie films from 1990s

The Korean Film Council is hosting special screenings aimed at showing life in 1990s South Korea. A total of 22 short films from the 1990s will be available through the virtual cinema of Indieground, a center created by the state-run Korean Film Council to facilitate distribution of indie and art films. The works selected for “Hello, ’90s” are considered significant in the history of Korean independent film, and offer a glimpse into Korean society in the ’90s. The onli

FilmJune 1, 2021

Netflix rom-com ‘Sweet & Sour’ asks, ‘Does love have an expiration date?’

New Netflix rom-com “Sweet & Sour,” directed by Lee Gye-byeok, begins with a cliched but popular question: Does love have an expiration date? “When dating someone there are not just sweet and sour moments. There are also bitter moments. I wanted to show that realistic side in the movie,” the director said during an online press conference Tuesday. Jang-hyuk (played by Jang Ki-yong) and Da-eun (played by Chae Su-bin) are a couple who embark on a long-distance relati

FilmJune 1, 2021

What’s next for hanbok?

Korean traditional attire, hanbok, does not have to be limited to young people and travelers wearing them around royal palaces. Hanbok-inspired clothing can be worn at work as well. That is the premise of a long-term project by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Hanbok Advancement Center launched earlier this year which aims to promote hanbok as everyday wear and books the demand for hanbok. At an exhibition showcasing business casual attire at Culture Station Seoul 284 in Jun

Arts & DesignJune 1, 2021

Kim Sun-wook to debut at Berlin Philharmonic with Chin Un-suk’s concerto

Pianist Kim Sun-wook will have his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic, performing composer Chin Un-suk’s piano concerto. On Saturday Kim, the winner of the 2006 Leeds International Piano Competition, will perform Chin’s piano concerto with the prestigious German orchestra at the Berlin Philharmonic concert hall, under the baton of Sakari Oramo, the chief conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. The Berlin Philharmonic explained Chin’s work as a “brilli

PerformanceJune 1, 2021

Alex Drljaca tapped as new president of Robert Bosch Korea

German auto parts maker Bosch announced Tuesday it had appointed Alex Drljaca as the chief of its business operations here. Drljaca will assume the role as president of Robert Bosch Korea to supervise all business branches representing the Bosch Group in the country, the company said in a press release. The 51-year-old executive has served as the regional president of Bosch Powertrain Solutions Korea since 2018 and will continue to hold that position as well, it added. Drljaca joined Bosc

PeopleJune 1, 2021

CJ CGV to screen evening meditation movies from next week

South Korea's leading cinema chain CJ CGV said Tuesday it will screen two meditation movies starting next week to help people enjoy tranquility in the evening after being busy in the daytime. "Peace of Mind," featuring the beauty of oceans, the sky and space, along with a meditation guide, will be screened from June 9-18, according to CGV. From June 23 to July 2, "Body Scan" will be shown to allow viewers to enjoy self-reflective body movements at movie theaters. The movie

FilmJune 1, 2021

S. Korean drama productions enter US market with co-production, acquisition

Two major South Korean drama productions are entering the US market through joint production and corporate acquisition, as Korean shows are enjoying increasing popularity around the world via online video steaming services. Studio Dragon said Tuesday it has agreed to co-produce a drama series with US company Skydance Television for Apple TV+. JTBC Studios said it signed an agreement to acquire US television and film studio Wiip on Monday. Studio Dragon is affiliated with CJ ENM, the nation's

TelevisionJune 1, 2021

Performing arts scene recovering on eased social distancing

The virus-hit South Korean performing arts sector is heading for a recovery this spring after plummeting last year, thanks to recently eased social distancing rules, data showed Tuesday. The combined revenue of 2,700 theatrical plays, musicals, classical concerts and other performances reached 70.5 billion won ($63.6 million) over the March-May period, according to the data by the Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System (KOPIS). The amount more than doubled from the 25.4 billion wo

PerformanceJune 1, 2021